In case any of you trivia recap followers are wondering where the recap of game #649 is, well…it’s in the void, as it were. I was not able to copy and paste the questions because of the host’s Zoom settings, and I lost my notes. So I can’t even do an abbreviated recap of that game. Hey, it didn’t go that great, anyway (for more reasons than how we did on the questions). It’s real irritating when the virtual hosts don’t turn down the music when they’re asking questions. Us virtual trivia players have gotten so spoiled, haven’t we?

We did however play a virtual game March 16, though! And it went pretty well in terms of the questions being favorable to the two of us. The Pink Floyd mystery round was a particularly tasty treat! Well, not tasty literally! Let’s hope the soup I have simmering in the slow cooker right now is actually tasty – and not just figuratively tasty – like the Pink Floyd mystery round!

In addition to that mystery round, we also had a bit of fun reminiscing when given a question about malt liquor (I’ll explain that more if you read on). Who knew that drinking malt liquor could be a family activity?

Our game was hosted by Virginia Beach (formerly Chicago) based host John C., whom also commented on the question set being particularly well done on this night.

And the questions:

Round One:

1) Beverages – What malt liquor, made by the Miller Brewing Company, features rebus puzzles under the cap of each of its uniquely shaped bottles?

NERD POINT: This malt liquor’s brand was originally created by Sterling Brewery in what Midwestern state?

Though he wasn’t exactly sure of the brand, Mike said he remembered his dad and Uncle drinking this stuff and giving the bottle caps to him and his sister to try to decipher the rebus puzzles. One of them was particularly challenging and took the poor kids a couple of hours to figure out. The answer wound up being “Organize a paper route.” We got the question correct, but weren’t confident, so this was for low points. Missed the bonus.

2) Sporting Goods – The modern 32-panel soccer ball that was developed in 1962 is traditionally made up of panels that are what two shapes? Thank the gods Mike was all over this answer…

3) Volcanoes – What country is home to the most volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, ahead of Indonesia and Japan? We put in an incorrect guess of Iceland.

4) Politicians – Prior to serving as U.S. attorney general, who served as the state’s attorney for Miami-Dade County from 1978-1993? FB host clue, but we didn’t need it.

Mystery One

For this mystery round, there are four answers, and they must be placed in the correct order. You will receive two points for each answer that is in the correct spot 1-4.

Place the following albums by Pink Floyd in order of their release starting with the earliest.

The Wall
The Dark Side of the Moon
The Endless River
A Momentary Lapse of Reason

We weren’t 100 percent sure about The Endless River, but put it in the right spot, so yay 8 points!

Round Two

5) Reptiles – Which of the following groups of reptiles comprises the most individual species—crocodilians, lizards, turtles, or snakes? Miss.

6) Movie Series – Actor Ralph Fiennes portrays what character in the final five films of the Harry Potter film series? Good teamwork here, I knew that Fiennes played a character in this film series, but I brain farted on the name, so I described him as “That bald evil guy with no eyebrows.” That was enough for Mike to fill in the rest.

7) Books – What 1969 Newbery Award-winning young adult novel by William H. Armstrong follows an African American boy and his sharecropper family, with the family’s dog being the only named character in the book? Never watched it or saw it, but this book’s name made it into my brain somehow through pop culture osmosis of some sort (you gotta love it when these things happen in trivia games).

8) Same Name – What nine-letter name is the last name of an American artist known for works depicting the Old West and the first name of a TV character played by Pierce Brosnan? Thanks so much for the Pierce Brosnan clue! Then I started humming the theme song to that show.

Mystery Round Two – Rhyme Time

The answer to each clue is a two-word name or phrase that rhymes.

M1) A faux cobra

M2) Slang term for a film marketed toward women

M3) A fur coat that is a very pale red

M4) Product that has used the slogan “Buy the Togetherness”

Missed #4.

We were in third going into the final with 43 points.

Final Category – #1 Hits

I wanted to go for it with the wagering, though my trivia pardner wasn’t so sure. I said, “Hey, it could be about songs I actually know!”

There are 17 songs that have won the Academy Award for Best Original Song AND reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, including two in the 21st century. Name those two songs, which are featured in films released in 2002 and 2018.

I remembered #2 because we got burned in a trivia game in the past about this movie and song (sometimes you learn from your trivia mistakes). The second one was a bit harder to come up with, but we got it. Our efforts moved us up to second place with 58 points.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Eminem!